And So He Was Happy
by Stellar Evolution
Summary: Kuririn learns that you don't always have to mourn the loss of a loved one to feel that they're gone. Please R


And So He Was Happy By Bluangl6  
  
Author's note: I thought to write a little fiction that pertained to the lighter side of Kuririn's personality. This is sort of a lilting fic. just meant to be a filler and a pleasant read ^-^ please R&R. (To you Kuririn writers out there: This is not a shot at you and I'm not trying to scapegoat you for writing angst. I have written tons of angst myself, so that would be pretty hypocritical! ^-^)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball, nor anything associated with it. Please don't take my shoes away... they're my last pair.  
  
This isn't a story about how Kuririn met Juhachigou, nor is it about Kuririn's sadness over the death of his friend. He isn't suicidal, he isn't depressed, and at the moment, he feels no particular need to prove himself in anything. This is simply a story about how someone got off of his duff and said to himself, "My gosh, but if this isn't boring!" and decided that he wanted to change things.  
  
The time was right after the dilemma with Cell, though not so much time that our particular subject had married or had children yet. Kuririn had developed himself a daily routine, of which he was quite proud considering that he rarely had free time to develop a routine at all. He would get up, brush his teeth, get dressed, and do other such 'waking-up' exercises that give humans a sense of security about their day. The problem with this routine, however, was that he was missing something very important and was rather flummoxed at the fact that he was missing it!  
  
It had been a year in after the cell games and he hadn't felt an ounce of remorse, grieving, nor guilt for that matter. This flabbergasted him to no end. He was sure that the guilt of not killing Juhachigou when he had the chance would crush him like a boulder, slowly torturing him until his rib cage collapsed, but none such thing had happened. All of this was quite stressing, considering the fact that he was quite sure that one was supposed to feel guilty about these things.  
  
It was chilly that morning, or as respectively chilly as tropical islands could get, and Kuririn felt every obligation to get out of bed. He had actually stalled as long as he possibly could, clinging to the warmth of his sheets, but found that it was a hard thing to do for the entire day. So he got up, followed his routine with the hole in the middle, and soon found himself standing in the middle of the living room staring out the big bay window.  
  
After a few moments of speculation concerning the weather outside, Kuririn grabbed a coat and pulled an old maroon scarf around his neck. Then he stepped outside, making sure to lock the door before he hopped off of the porch and took off into the sky. The damp fog that hung over the water made him glad, for once, that he didn't have a nose because he was positively sure that he would have to check his ears for frostbite by the end of the flight. Of course now he had the obvious question, where should he go? Well, there are several places he could have gone, but he found himself touching down along the suburbs of West City.  
  
Kuririn stuffed his small hands into his pockets as he watched the people rush by on the sidewalks. The bareness of the trees meant winter, which meant that people were getting busier and busier as the holidays rolled in. Kuririn had always held a special interest in holidays. He had never had any family to share them with, but he always seemed to manage to get rid of his loneliness when he was un-expectedly invited to a Christmas party, or to Goku and ChiChi's home for an extravagant Thanksgiving. At the moment, however, he was still pondering furiously on the fact that he had a hole. Plain and simple, he had a hole and it was supposed to be filled with the grief and anguish that he just wasn't feeling. Getting somewhat frustrated with himself, Kuririn shoved his hands further into his pockets and huffed as he walked down the street. Soon he turned abruptly into a small "corner-in-the-wall" coffee shop named Pennies For Beans.  
  
The name of the coffee shop interested Kuririn, and as he walked in he was greeted with a cheerful hello from the single clerk behind the counter. There were a few people inside, most of them loners like Kuririn who were looking for a little peace and quiet. Kuririn took a seat after ordering a small cup of coffee and wrapped his scarf around the back of the chair, the warmth of the place having taken away the stinging cold of his ears. He cupped his hands closely around the mug of steaming coffee, brow furrowed as he continued to ponder upon his situation. After quite a while of speculation he took a deliberate sip of the drink, small face looking perplexed.  
  
It was then that Kuririn felt eyes on him and he turned to see the clerk watching him with his hands on his hips. Kuririn offered the man a sheepish smile, he felt foolish now for acting so flustered in front of everyone, but the clerk shook his head, speaking aloud, "What'n the world's got you so worried?"  
  
Kuririn let out a short laugh, shaking his head as he floundered a bit, trying to save himself and a bit of his dignity, "Oh. erhm.. nothing really.."  
  
The clerk shook his head and leaned forwards against the counter, his shoulders hunched, "C'mon! You've been sitting there forever! Don't worry, you c'ntell me.. 'sides.. we're the only ones in here anyways."  
  
Kuririn blushed a bit, looking around in surprise to find that they really were the only two in the little coffee house. He fiddled with a paper coaster, he'd never really been very good at saying the way he felt. "Erhm.. well.. something happened to one of my friends. and.. well.. y'see, I don't feel bad about it. I keep telling myself that I should feel awful.. but I just..don't!" He shrugged his shoulders to emphasize the last word.  
  
The clerk grinned lopsidedly, "An' that's a bad thing..?"  
  
Kuririn blinked, caught off guard, and responded as he spread his arms in a gesture, "Well, yeah..! He was my best friend..! His death was my fault..!"  
  
The recipient of the reply arched a brow slightly "You must feel that way for a reason."  
  
Kuririn let out a little sigh of frustration, more of himself really than the clerk, "But I don't feel guilty..!"  
  
The clerk shrugged and pushed back the flimsy paper hat on his head with the company logo on the side, "So be happy..!" Before Kuririn could reply to this, the clerk picked up a mug left on the counter and took it into the back. A bit of a whistle radiated from the double doors a short while later.  
  
Kuririn frowned and stared at the table, but he soon found himself dwelling on the last comment that the clerk had made. "So be happy." Maybe he was right. Maybe sometimes, people didn't have to feel guilty or sad because they knew in their hearts that it wouldn't do them any true good.  
  
And so he was happy. 


End file.
